III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 104 

Expressing the sense of the Senate encouraging the active engagement of 

Americans in world affairs and urging the Secretary of State to take 

the lead and coordinate with other governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations in creating an online database of international exchange programs and related opportunities. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 12, 2005 

Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself and Mr. HAGEL) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate encouraging the active 

engagement of Americans in world affairs and urging 

the Secretary of State to take the lead and coordinate 

with other governmental agencies and non-governmental 

organizations in creating an online database of international exchange programs and related opportunities.

Whereas the United States needs to do a better job of building personal and institutional relationships with peoples 

and Nations around the world in order to combat the rise 

in anti-American sentiment that many polls and studies 

have reported; 

Whereas a broad bipartisan consensus in favor of strengthening United States public diplomacy emerged during 
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2003 in Congress and was expressed in various reports, 

including reports of the Council on Foreign Relations, the 

General Accounting Office, the Advisory Commission on 

Public Diplomacy, the Heritage Foundation, and the Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World; 

Whereas, in July 2004, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States released its final 

report on United States intelligence, which determined 

that ‘‘[j]ust as we did in the Cold War, we need to defend our ideals abroad vigorously. America does stand up 

for its values. . . . If the United States does not act aggressively to define itself in the Islamic World, the extremists will gladly do the job for us.’’; 

Whereas the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 declares the sense of Congress that the United States 

should commit to a long-term and significant investment 

in promoting people-to-people engagement with all levels 

of society in other countries; 

Whereas international exchange programs, which have assisted in extending American influence around the world 

by educating the world’s leaders, have suffered from a 

decline in funding and policy priority; 

Whereas, when students are instructed in their civic and community responsibilities during secondary education, the 

importance of their participation in global affairs should 

be underscored as well; 

Whereas the number of United States university-level students studying abroad in 2002–2003 was 174,629, representing just over 1 percent of United States students; 
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Whereas 2⁄3 of United States students studying abroad study 

in Western Europe (18.2 percent in the United Kingdom 

alone), although 95 percent of the world population 

growth in the next 50 years is expected to occur outside 

of Western Europe; 

Whereas there are 29,953,000 retired workers in the United 

States as of December 2004, meaning that there are 

many older Americans who have the talent, maturity, and 

time to volunteer their services abroad; 

Whereas the average United States college graduate who has 

studied 1 of the less commonly taught languages reaches 

no more than an intermediate level of proficiency in the 

language, which is insufficient to meet national security 

requirements; and 

Whereas there are hundreds of well-established organizations 

in the United States that implement educational and professional exchanges, international volunteering, and related programs, and the efforts of those organizations 

could readily be expanded to reach out to more Americans: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved,

2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

3 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘People-to-People 

4 Engagement in World Affairs Resolution’’. 

5 SEC. 2. SENSE OF SENATE. 

6 It is the sense of the Senate that— 

7 (1) the Secretary of State should coordinate 

8 with implementing partners in creating an online 
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1 database that provides information on how Ameri2 cans can take advantage of— 

3 (A) international exchange programs of the 

4 Department of State, the Department of Edu5 cation, and other Federal Government and non6 government entities; 

7 (B) volunteer opportunities with organiza8 tions that assist refugees and immigrants in the 

9 United States; 

10 (C) opportunities to host international stu11 dents and professionals in the United States; 

12 (D) sister-city organizations in the United 

13 States; 

14 (E) international fairs and cultural events 

15 in the United States; and 

16 (F) foreign language learning opportuni17 ties; 

18 (2) Americans should strive to become more en19 gaged in international affairs and more aware of 

20 peoples and developments outside the United States; 

21 (3) Americans should seize 1 or more opportu22 nities toward this end, by such means as— 

23 (A) participating in a professional or cul24 tural exchange; 

25 (B) studying abroad; 
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1 (C) volunteering abroad; 

2 (D) working with an immigrant or refugee 

3 group; 

4 (E) hosting a foreign student or profes5 sional; 

6 (F) participating in a sister-city program; 

7 and 

8 (G) learning a foreign language; and 

9 (4) Members of Congress should raise the im10 portance of international engagement in the districts 

11 and States the Members represent.

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